MODULE 7 Demonstrate ways to resolve conflict.

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1 Student name: Date: MODULE 7 Demonstrate ways to resolve conflict. Objectives: A. List problem solving steps and decision-making skills. B. Identify coping skills used to deal with different types of problems. C. Identify ways an employee can get along with co-workers, employees, and customers. MODULE 7: INFORMATION SHEET TO THE STUDENT: Read and study this information sheet and complete the student activities at the end of this module. Getting Along With Others A person can be extremely well qualified, have a lot of technical skills, be honest and hardworking, and still fail to achieve goals in life or be satisfied. A reason for this is that there is virtually nothing that we do that is not affected by how well or poorly we relate to other people. Contact with other people occurs frequently in most jobs. A worker who is unable to get along with others may not survive on the job very long. Some of the people an employee may have to get along with are co-workers, supervisors, and the general public. We All Need Human Relations Skills When you interact with other people, you are engaging in human relations. We all interact with other people. We cannot escape doing so in our crowded, complex, interrelated society. In a single day you relate to co-workers, salespeople, bus drivers, parents, children, sisters, brothers, bosses, teachers, customers, neighbors, friends, and police. Some of these relations are pleasant, some unpleasant; some satisfying, some not so satisfying. Overall your success and satisfaction in life will be influenced by how well you relate, by your human relations skills The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 1

2 From the time you were born, you have had to deal with people, and as you go out into the world of work, your ability to get along with others on the job combined with your job skills will determine whether or not you will be a successful employee. In order to get along with others, you must first understand yourself better and how you react to others in different situations. As you learn to evaluate yourself in relationships with peers, co-workers, teachers, family and acquaintances, you will develop human relations skills. There are many skilled people who have the technical knowledge needed to carry out specific job duties, but they have not learned good human relations skills. Some of the personal reasons for learning good human relations skills are: 1. You will be able to improve social relationships. 2. You will understand yourself better. 3. You will be able to assess situations with people more accurately. 4. You will enjoy interaction with people on the job more so that you will be more satisfied with your place of employment. Human Relations Is Communicating Because you are involved in some form of human relations practically all of your waking hours, human relations skills are clearly important. Human relations means communicating with others. That involves obvious direct communication, such as talking and listening, writing and reading. It also includes nonverbal communication using body language, consciously or subconsciously; how you dress, how you take care of yourself. It involves what you communicate and how you communicate. In most occupations an employee will be in frequent contact with coworkers. In some jobs it is necessary to discuss tasks with other employees in order to complete the work. Even if speaking to other workers is not required to do the job, it is still important to be on friendly terms with other employees. Employers prefer a friendly atmosphere because most people perform better when they get along well with those around them. Hostility, a feeling of ill will, can create problems that could cause a slowdown in production. A worker who makes other people angry, for example, is interfering with their performance. Such a worker usually does not last very long on the job The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 2

3 Getting along with supervisors is also very important in job survival. If, because of a negative attitude, an employee doesn't cooperate with a supervisor, the supervisor can recommend that the employee be fired. A supervisor can also prevent an uncooperative worker from receiving a promotion. In many occupations it is necessary for a worker to deal directly with the general public. They may have frequent daily contact with many people whom they have not met before. Salespersons, nurses, and receptionists are just a few examples. Such workers must be able to get along well with everyone they meet. A complaint to management from a dissatisfied customer or client could place a worker's job in jeopardy. Getting along with others is not difficult. There are guidelines one can follow when dealing with co-workers, supervisors, and the general public: 1. Be courteous and polite at all times! 2. Develop a friendly attitude. 3. Don't become involved in gossip. 4. Control your temper. 5. Accept criticism. Problem Solving Steps The way people show their feelings expresses the attitude they have. From someone's looks or actions, it is quite easy to see whether he or she feels happy, excited, or sad. People show how they feel even without saying a word. Sometimes an employee may feel hostile toward someone. It is wise not to let these feelings show. Having a positive attitude is necessary for success in any occupation. The way in which we learn to identify and solve problems can have a far reaching effect, not only on ourselves, but on the others around us. If we learn how to identify the basic process of solving a problem, we can apply it to all areas of our lives--on the job, at home, at school, and in peer relationships The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 3

4 The basic steps to solving a problem are: 1. Recognize the problem. 2. Obtain the facts - The more facts you gather, the better your decision will be. 3. Weigh the facts. 4. Determine the goal or objective desired. 5. Make a decision based on several possible solutions - list the pros and cons to each alternative and the possible consequences or results of each solution. 6. Take action to solve the problem. 7. Check the results of your actions to determine whether or not your solution to the problem is working. If we learn to identify and recognize what the real problem is, we have a better chance of solving it rationally, but if we deny there is a problem when there actually is one, it will only get harder to solve. Get along with others on the job More people are fired because they can't get along with others than for any other reason. No matter how good you are at your work, to survive on the job you must get along with other people. Sometimes on our jobs we are confronted with situations in which we are required to respond to our co-workers, our supervisor, employer or to customers actions. To handle these types of problems, there are several responses that we can take to help us get along better with others. Some suggestions for getting along with a supervisor include: 1. Accept the authority of the supervisor. 2. Immediately ask the supervisor for more responsibility when all assigned duties are completed. 3. Handle merchandise and supplies carefully - they represent an investment to the business The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 4

5 4. Learn from all supervisors, both the good ones and those less skilled. Whether the constructive criticism by a superior is negative or positive, employees must learn to listen to what is being said about their job performance that they need to correct in carrying out their job duties, and not let the manner in which they are being told overshadow the message of the supervisor. Some of the ways you can improve your relationships with your coworkers are to: 1. Know all co-workers by name. 2. Introduce yourself to the other employees if the supervisor or another employee does not do so. 3. Greet by name or at least smile at the other employees upon arriving at work. In order to greet the customers or clients at your business and make them feel welcome, you should learn ways to make them feel important so they will want to return to your business in the future. You are the representative for your business, and the customers will form an opinion about the service your business offers by the way you provide them with help and information. Following is a list of suggestions to make your customers feel welcome: 1. Smile and greet each customer with whom you come in contact with confidence and sincerity. 2. Treat each customer as a guest: the customer is your reason for being in business. 3. Help each customer with individual needs - customers come to a business because they need the goods or services you provide The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 5

6 MODULE 7: STUDENT ACTIVITIES TO THE STUDENT: After you have read and studied the information sheet, complete the following activities in complete sentences. 1. Sometimes a worker puts down other workers just to see them get upset. What could you do instead of getting upset? A. You dropped a glass jar and it broke. Someone said, "How did you get hired? You must be related to the boss." WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY OR DO? B. You just started working at a toy store. You were taking packages out to the parking lot. Another worker who was just leaving yelled, "Hey ugly! Did you get that face for Halloween?" WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY OR DO? C. You were absent from work one day because you had a bad cold. The next day, a worker said, "Hey, we were glad you weren't here yesterday. We really got a lot done." WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY OR DO? D. You are generally accurate at making change. This morning, though, you made a mistake and another worker said, "You're supposed to collect the money, not give it away!" WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY OR DO? The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 6

7 2. Read the following case studies and suggest solutions to everyday human relation problems. A. Judy had been working at her job as a department store sales clerk for two weeks when her supervisor called her into his office. He told her that she had been doing a good job except for some mistakes she had made in ringing up sales on the cash register. Upon hearing this, Judy stormed out of his office, saying to herself, "I don't have to take this abuse. Who does he think I am?" (1) Did Judy react in a mature manner? Explain your answer. (2) If you were Judy's supervisor would you recommend that she be fired? Explain your answer. B. Joe is employed as a stock worker at an auto-parts warehouse. On Joe's second day on the job, Bill, another employee told him that he suspected the janitor of stealing some supplies from the warehouse. On his lunch break, Joe repeated what he had heard to the office secretary, who also happened to be his girlfriend. The secretary told the boss what Joe had said. The boss promptly called the janitor into her office and fired him for stealing. 1) Did Joe use good judgment in telling his girlfriend what he had heard from Bill? Why or why not? 2) What would you have done if you were Joe? Describe some consequences of your actions The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 7

8 C. Jerry has just graduated from high school. He was sharp and definitely college material. For the last two years of high school he had to work to help support his widowed mother and three younger sisters. He received a scholarship that covered tuition and books, but not room and board. His boss offered him a small raise, or he would write a recommendation to get him a comparable job with comparable pay with the same company in the town where the university was located. With a college education Jerry would qualify for a much better position in the long run; however, there would only be enough money to support himself. What should Jerry do? 1) What is the problem? Explain. 2) What are the facts? 3) How do you weigh the facts? Evaluate. 4) What is Jerry's objective? Should this be changed? 5) What would be your decision for Jerry? 6) What action should Jerry take? 7) What are the possible results of the action? The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 8

9 MODULE 7: STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS MODULE Pennsylvania s Academic Standards for Career Education and Work Career Retention (Keeping a Job) A. Analyze work habits needed to advance within a career. B. Evaluate conflict resolution skills: Constructive criticism Group dynamics Managing Mediation Negotiation Problem solving C. Evaluate team member roles to describe and illustrate active listening techniques: Clarifying Encouraging Restating Reflecting Summarizing Pennsylvania s Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening (RWSL) Learning to Read Independently E. Establish a reading vocabulary by identifying and correctly using new words acquired through the study of their relationships to other words. Use a dictionary or related reference Quality of Writing B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic. Gather, determine validity and reliability of, analyze and organize information. Employ the most effective format for purpose and audience. Write fully developed paragraphs that have details and information specific to the topic and relevant to the focus The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 9

10 F. Edit writing using the conventions of language. Spell all words correctly. Use capital letters correctly. Punctuate correctly (periods, exclamation points, question marks, commas, quotation marks, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, parentheses, hyphens, brackets, ellipses). Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections properly. Use complete sentences (simple, compound, complex, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and imperative) Speaking and Listening A. Listen to others. Ask clarifying questions. Synthesize information, ideas and opinions to determine relevancy. Take notes. Secretary s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) PERSONAL QUALITIES Sociability: Demonstrates understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy, and politeness in new and ongoing group settings. Self-Management: Assesses own knowledge, skills, and abilities accurately; sets well-defined and realistic personal goals; self-starter. COMPETENCIES Interpersonal: Works well with others, including being skilled team members and negotiating with others to solve problems or reach decisions The Professional Personnel Development Center, Penn State University. 10